The theme for International Women's Day in 2021 was #ChooseToChallenge, and Glasgow Caledonian University hosted a series of events to champion gender equality. You can find out more about the campaign on the IWD website .
GCU's International Women's Day 2021 #ChooseToChallenge
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Our Principal and Vice-Chancellor Professor Pamela Gillies CBE FRSE said: "At Glasgow Caledonian University, we are proud of the work we have done to reduce the gender pay gap, to encourage women to take leadership roles at the University, where 40 per cent of our professors are women, and to work in partnership with outstanding men, like our Nobel Prize-winning Emeritus Chancellor, Muhammad Yunus, to create educational opportunities for women in nursing in Bangladesh.
“But there is a long way to go yet in the creation of women’s equality and we must all continue to play our part.”
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The University Chancellor Dr Annie Lennox has shared a powerful message to help mark International Women's Day.
Dr Lennox is a truly committed advocate of global feminism and recorded a short video message for us to share with staff, students and our University community.
This year's International Women's Day theme is ‘Choose to Challenge’ and calls on everyone to challenge and raise awareness against gender bias, celebrate women’s achievements, and take action for equality.
In her video, Dr Lennox urges people to ask themselves what they can do to help create a more inclusive world.
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Student President Susan Docherty has also called for greater action on achieving gender balance around the world.
She said: “We may be of a different generation, have lived different lives, and come from a variety of backgrounds, countries and walks of life, but together we can all stand up for justice and equality of women everywhere. It is our duty to speak out against discrimination and stand up for social and economic justice and equality for all.”
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International Women's Day 2021 Events Schedule There were a number of events held throughout 2021 to mark International Women's Day at Glasgow Caledonian University. These were:
Virtual Menopause Cafe
Our virtual Menopause Café met again on Zoom on March 11.
The informal networking session gave colleagues the opportunity to come together, enjoy a tea or coffee and have a chat.
During the session, external guest Karran Bonner, a people development coach and mindfulness and wellness practitioner, held a mini mindfulness meditation.
Online Campaign: Challenging Gender Stereotypes
The campaign theme for International Women's Day was #ChooseToChallenge. This calls on everyone to accelerate women's equality, celebrate the achievements of women and help to create an inclusive world. GCU launched a campaign through GCU's Social Media Channels and Caledonian Connected on the 8th of March Challenging Gender Stereotypes.
Poetry Showcase
As part of our activities for IWD 2021 at Glasgow Caledonian University, we launched a poetry showcase to encourage staff and students to engage creatively with our values and champion gender equality.
A panel reviewed entries to the showcase and entries to the competition are outlined below. Alongside these entries four were selected which were an exceptional example of both the GCU values, and the IWD Campaign of Choose to Challenge. The poets reading their entries aloud can be viewed at the GCU Youtube Channel.
Glasgow Caledonian University continues to celebrate International Women's Day on March 8 with a series of activities on campus all this week.
This year's International Women's Day theme is "each for equal" and calls on everyone to play their part in creating an equal, just world.
Our Principal and Vice-Chancellor Professor Pamela Gillies CBE FRSE said: "The evidence is clear, gender equality is essential for our economies and communities to thrive. A gender-equal world can be healthier, wealthier, more harmonious and happier, and more socially cohesive. At Glasgow Caledonian University, we take a values-led whole-institutional approach to gender equality from top down, where we have a balanced Executive Board and 40% of our Professors are female, to bottom up where we focus on completely eliminating gender pay gaps. As a University Community we believe in putting “Each for Equal” into practice."
Professor Pamela Gillies CBE FRSE discusses how GCU achieves "Each for Equal"
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The University Chancellor Dr Annie Lennox has shared a powerful message to help mark International Women's Day.
Dr Lennox is a truly committed advocate of global feminism and recorded a short video message for us to share with staff, students and our University community.
This year's International Women's Day theme was "each for equal" and called on everyone to play their part in creating an equal, just world.
Chancellor Annie Lennox's message for International Women's Day 2020
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The Chancellor's message was part of a series of events and activities to celebrate International Women's Day, which has been held every year on March 8 since 1977, when the UN invited member states to declare a day for women's rights.
Students from the University also came together to show us their Each for Equal Pose.
GCU celebrates International Women's Day 2020
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An exhibition in the University Archive in the Sir Alex Ferguson Library is showcasing some of its resources that illustrate the role of women around the world in human rights campaigns including the anti-apartheid movement and the battle to topple Pinochet's dictatorship in Chile
GCU Archives explore women's roles in international campaigns
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Events Schedule To celebrate International Women's Day on March 8, the University and Students' Association are running a series of events over the next two weeks that celebrate the achievements of women and promote gender equality within our University and beyond.
Tuesday, February 25 - 3.30pm to 4.30pm: Menopause Café informal networking session
This session will give colleagues the opportunity to gather, enjoy a tea or coffee and have a chat.
Based on the principles of the Menopause Café, it will be held in a respectful and confidential space and there will be no pre-set agenda – topics will be chosen by the participants on the day.
Wednesday, February 26 – 2.30pm to 4pm: Imposter Syndrome - Befriending Your Inner Imposter
Led by Jackie Main, Director of Student Experience, this event will look at the concept of "imposter syndrome".
If you have ever suffered from self-doubt at work, thought that others were more accomplished, confident or better at their job or have worried that you will be exposed as a fake, then you probably understand the concept already. The good news is that many hugely successful people suffer from imposter syndrome.
This workshop will provide the opportunity to share experiences and to explore how you can develop tactics to overcome anxieties and turn these feelings into something positive.
Tuesday, March 3 – 1.10pm to 2pm: Free self-defence class at the Arc
The Arc is offering a chance to try out self-defence for free. Come along to learn self-defence skills, build a strong mind-set and increase your motivation, fitness and power.
February 24 to March 6: The Circle and First Responder information stands
Stands will be in Campus Life in the George Moore building to give information about the support we offer our staff and students, as well as external support.
Come along to find out more about the Student's Association The Circle Society, a collective within The Circle, a charity founded by our Chancellor Dr Annie Lennox OBE to champion women's rights around the world. You can also speak to our First Responder Team who have been trained in supporting and advising survivors of gender based and sexual violence.
February 24 to March 8: Pledge wall
February 24 to March 24: #Each for Equal International Women Activists exhibition
An exhibition in the University Archive in the Sir Alex Ferguson Library will highlight the activism roles that women have undertaken across the world. The mimosa flower is a symbol for International Women's Day and will be displayed as part of the exhibition.
GCU's commitment to promoting gender equality across our campuses has been recognised by the International Women's Day 2019 Best Practice Competition.
The University has been selected as an example of good practice in the competition's Education and Academia: Knowledge and Impact category.
More than 300 groups entered the competition , showcasing their achievements and explaining how they engaged audiences and communities to help address equality issues on International Women's Day on March 8. GCU was one of just eight institutions worldwide to be recognised in the Education and Academia category.
The University marked International Women's Day by a series of activities and videos encouraging students and staff to recognise their value and to pledge their own commitment to improving gender equality.
A series of talks and discussions focused on the practical challenges women often have to overcome during their careers, such as caring for families, part-time working and how to engage in or broaden the conversation about work-life balance.
In a video shared on our intranet and social media channels, Principal and Vice-Chancellor Professor Pamela Gillies CBE FRSE listed the great strides our institution has made to promote equality of opportunity for staff through initiatives such as the Aurora network. She also praised progress on tackling the gender pay gap and the 'Erase the Grey' campaign , GCU's campaign against gender-based violence.
Our Chancellor Dr Annie Lennox OBE, one of the world's most influential Human Rights campaigners and a truly committed advocate of global feminism, also recorded a short video message for the University.
Professor Valerie Webster, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Learning, Teaching and Student Experience) and Executive Sponsor of the Aurora network, said: "Our International Women's Day activities brought together staff and students from across the University and the Students' Association – of all genders, grades and roles – to support the development of a gender-balanced world.
"The success of our campaign would not have been possible without our staff and student volunteers, and I would like to thank all of those individuals for their dedication and hard work.
"In line with our Athena SWAN commitment , GCU is committed to celebrating all aspects of diversity and inclusion, and receiving this external recognition from IWD highlights the University's considerable progress to date."
Read GCU's International Women's Day best practice case study on the IWD website.
GCU Celebrates International Women's Day 2019
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In an unprecedented year in which women’s rights have gathered momentum, captured headlines and public opinion, and called for change, we are joining the International Women’s Day (IWD) Press for Progress campaign.
This week, Thursday March 8, the voices of women and men around the world will be raised in celebration of women.
We are proud to add our voice to the millions and to highlight our ongoing commitment to equality of opportunity.
Through championing IWD and lending our support to the voice of millions, we have campaigned this week to highlight equality of opportunity. The University community has come together to support the #PressforProgress campaign in our video.
Press for Progress at GCU
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Principal and Vice-Chancellor Professor Pamela Gillies CBE FRSE, said: “Our University is committed to championing our female and male staff and students.
“International Women’s Day is a call for gender parity and, as the University for the Common Good, we are committed to equal pay, eliminating discrimination, and promoting equality of opportunity. It is important that we listen and lead in creating a more equal society for all.
“We have embraced transparency in our gender pay gap, which despite being one of the smallest in the sector, we are determined to reduce year-on-year and to lend our support to the global campaign to press for progress.”
To mark this momentous day, we are raising awareness of the University’s commitment to equal pay and the strides we have made to reduce the gender pay gap – as set out in our statement on equal pay.
As reported in our Public Sector Equality Duty Report 2017 , the pay gap between men and women has continued to reduce and, as of April 1, it had further decreased to 14.5% in comparison to 20% for other Scottish Higher Education Institutions and our gender pay gap for female academic staff has reduced from 8.2% in April 2015 to 4.2% in July 2017.
We support the development of female leaders in our university community, recognised by our Athena SWAN Bronze Award . Through our Athena SWAN action plan, we are committed to equality and diversity and to support the advancement and promotion of the careers of women. To date, the University has supported more than 70 female members of staff to participate in the Leadership Foundation for Higher Education’s Aurora Programme, with a further 40+ senior female members of staff taking part in mentoring positions to help colleagues in their development.
Women professors at the University are at a record high of more than 40%, positioning GCU as a sector leader in the number of women appointed to senior academic positions; this is set against a backdrop of just 23% of female professors in the UK, according to a study by the Equality Challenge Unit’s ‘Equality in Higher Education 2017’. And finally, the appointment of Dr Annie Lennox OBE as our first female Chancellor also marks an important step in the University’s evolution.
GCU celebrates International Women's Day 2018 with its female professoriate
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Students too have added their support to the campaign through their 'woman up' video which told the stories of five inspirational women who each challenge perceptions.
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